The musings of Vlad Plasmius
by Trevor the Enchanter
Summary: Vlad thinks about his life after the disasteroid incident. He muses on his past, but little does he know that he plays a key role in the future. Vladclockwork friendship


Okay, this is just a short one-chapter story. I'm not sure what I'll do with "rising stakes" and I'm about halfway done with the new "internal darkness" chapter. I've wanted to write this for a while, but I've been busy with college. This is just between classes, so don't be too harsh on me.

Note: this shows a slightly more sympathetic side of Vlad, so if you're not a Vlad fan, don't read this. Also, I'm changing things a little, so that Danny's secret was not revealed to the world, since I don't think they would be so accepting.

Vlad sighed on a rock in space, even though no one could hear him. He had gambled, and lost everything. Even Jack hated him now, and the entire world knew his secret. Even if he could go back, he would be hunted by ghost and human alike for the remainder of his life, which probably wouldn't be long, anyway. Sooner or later, his energy would give out, and once he returned to human form, he would die.

He decided to spend his last hours thinking of Maddie. She had never completely trusted him, even after he had saved Daniel. "What am I to do now?" Vlad asked himself, no sound coming out of his mouth. He was sorely tempted to try and fly back to Earth and get his revenge on Jack and Daniel, but what would the point be? Nothing in his life would change, and it wouldn't even make him feel better.

For the first time in many years, Vlad Masters felt some kindling of affection for Jack. After all, he did offer the chance to regain their friendship and he coldly shoved him aside. _I wish he had simply killed me instead of just leaving me. _Vlad thought. _I'm going to die sooner or later, anyway. _He was tens of thousands of kilometers away from earth, and while it would be possible to get there before his energy ran away, thanks to the lack of gravity, he would perish in the atmosphere at those speeds.

His thoughts drifted towards Daniel. He was stubborn, and Vlad never understood why he protected people who gave him very little gratitude in return. Hell, he was public enemy number one for a few months. And yet he continued to defend Amity Park despite the odds. Even though he was the boy enemy, he had to respect that.

Nonetheless, Vlad could not understand why he was unable to kill the boy when he had many chances. It had become clear to him that Daniel would never be on his side, so why did he hesitate every time? He was strong and would eventually surpass him, so it would make logical sense to kill him when he was still capable. _Of course, if I had any logic, I wouldn't be in this predicament. Logically, I should have given up on Maddie decades ago. She once had an interest in me, but that is long past. _

His mind wandered back to when they were fifteen. He and Maddie had met Jack the previous year when he saved Vlad from a pair of bullies. They become fast friends, looking out for one another. _How could things have changed so much? _He was suspicious about what was going on with Maddie, but Jack was as clueless as ever. Eventually, he was able to convince him something was wrong and they took action. True, he was severely injured, but it was worth it.

He wasn't very good at it, but Vlad decided to try. "Actually, being a free-roaming space nomad isn't that bad." He stated, trying to convince himself. "At least it's quiet, and I …" He saw the asteroid coming towards him. Vlad closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable collision.

After what seemed like forever, he opened his eyes, expecting to find himself dead or some similar fate. He was never religious and lost all belief after his accident, but this was not what he had expected. Vlad took in his surroundings. They looked almost familiar, but he couldn't remember for the life of him.

_Am I dead or not? _Vlad asked himself. Deciding to risk it, he turned back to Vlad Masters. He wasn't gasping for air, so he was not in space. But where was he?

"Hello, Vlad; I've been wondering when you would figure it out." Clockwork declared from above him, a smirk on his young face.

"So you decided to intervene and save my life?" Vlad responded, not entirely sure what to make of this. "Why did you bring me here? Haven't I been punished enough?"

"If I wanted to punish you, I would have left you in the asteroid's path." Clockwork told him in his usual calm voice. "No, I brought you here for a reason."

"Okay, would you mind explaining it to me? I thought you considered me an enemy." _Like everyone else. _Vlad could hardly believe it, but the thought depressed him. He thought he could handle it by now, but was apparently proven wrong.

"I'll explain to you in a short time. First of all, why did you end up in this situation?"

"You know perfectly well why I'm…"

"Just answer the question."

"Fine, I'll humor you. I'm here because I blackmailed the world trying to become king, but my plan failed, and I was stranded in space when my former friend abandoned me."

"Did you ever consider why?"

"Most likely, it was because I told him that I planned to make Maddie my queen. Knowing him as I do, he would have forgiven anything that I did to him, but my last remark pushed him too far."

"Very true, very true."

"Now answer my question. Why did you save me?"

"Well, there are two answers to that. The first one is that Danny will need your help in defeating an upcoming foe. He knows nothing about what he will face, but you do. He will be reluctant, of course, but it must be done."

"Stop speaking in riddles, old man. What new enemy?"

"You'll find out in due time. The second reason is that it was a fate you did not deserve. I see in you what everyone else has forgotten."

"What, pray tell, would that be?" Vlad was getting very impatient, and if it wasn't for the fact Clockwork saved him from certain death, he would have already attacked. Not that it would do much good against the time master.

"There is good in you, if you'll pardon an old cliché. You were delighted when you thought Danny was going to be your son, and even when you had the perfect opportunity, you were unable to dispose of him."

"I suppose that's true… and stop shifting forms! It's really starting to get annoying." Vlad transformed into Plasmius, and flew around, not wanting to listen to him.

"I suggest you listen to me, Vlad. I'm trying to help you. Now for obvious reasons, you will have to stay here until Daniel needs you."

"Why should I help him? He's the reason I've lost everything!"

"No, Vlad. You lost everything long ago, before he was even born. Your attempts to get them back have only caused you grief, while the whole time you overlooked the fact the man you hated loved you like a brother."

"Why should I care? He ruined my life!"

"That was your own doing. Let me show you something." Clockwork motioned towards the orb, and he looked inside. Jack was sitting in his living room in stunned silence. He was trying to resist, but it didn't stop a couple of tears coming from his face. "Even after all you've done, he still cares for you."

"Yes, how very touching." Vlad snapped, trying to ignore the pang in his heart he thought was destroyed long ago. "Since you know everything, tell me: why wasn't I able to kill Daniel? He was my enemy, and a constant obstacle."

"I don't know everything; just most things." Clockwork shifted into his adult form, while Vlad rolled his eyes. "I believe it was because you were once not so different than him. Let me show you something else."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"Are you sure about this, Vlad?" 15-year-old Jack asked. "If we're wrong, we're going to be in a lot of trouble."_

_"I'd rather get in trouble than let her suffer in that kind of hell." Vlad responded. They ran towards Maddie's house, looking for a way inside. Jack didn't see the point of it, but he trusted his friend, who was more observant than he. _

_"Vlad, over here! There's a window." He cried out. Vlad crawled inside, since Jack was unable to fit inside. He looked around the house, and heard voices. They sounded angry, and he rushed towards the source, only to see Maddie's father backhand her. She cried out in pain, and he proceeded to beat her. She was helpless against the beefy man, and too terrified to fight back. Maddie had a blue belt in karate, but did nothing._

_Vlad, of course, was horrified, but courage was never his strong point. He was about to retreat and get Jack, but knew he didn't have time. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the man from behind, keeping a death grip on his neck. "Maddie, get out of here!" Vlad exclaimed. "Get jack!" She was still too terrified to move, though. _

_Unfortunately, the man was a lot stronger than he was, and threw him off. Vlad tried to recover, but the man punched him in the side of the face. He groaned in pain, and moved towards Maddie, but his opponent threw him against the wall, and buried his fist in Vlad's gut._

_Vlad elbowed him, weakening his hold enough to get away. "Maddie, get the hell out of here!" Vlad shouted. He didn't swear very much, but it was justified under the circumstances. At last, she retreated, but who was going to help him?_

_He defended himself as best he could, and gave the man several bruises, but he was simply too much, and Vlad found himself on the floor in a bloody heap. He was almost unable to move, and could not defend himself._

_Thankfully, Jack barged in and tackled him. He was strong enough to fight him on fairly even terms, but looked for a weapon he could use against them. While they were fighting, Vlad struggled to his feet, ignoring the pain in his body. He grabbed a lamp, and smashed it over his head. Maddie's father was still conscious, but too dazed to do anything else. Gently, Jack hoisted him out of here._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

"I think you remember that incident quite well." Clockwork told him in his usual calm tone.

"Yes; he blamed Maddie for her mother's death, and took his grief out on her." Vlad replied. It was the only murder he had ever committed. He found him in prison, serving time for attempting to kill her two years after that incident. He revealed himself, and choked him to death. "I was never able to bring myself to kill anyone else."

"You can stay here for now." Clockwork smiled. "However, you must not touch the Thermos I have on one of my table. Inside the prison is a demon too terrible to imagine. Outside this place, he would break through it easily."

"And what exactly is it?"

"Well… that's a story for another day. There's a bed in one of the rooms. Take some time to relax and clear your thoughts." Vlad flew towards it, as he shifted to his child form. It would be quite difficult to help him, especially since Vlad had little kindness in his life. Part of him didn't understand why he was trying, but Clockwork felt there was hope.

Now all he had to do was put up with a roommate for the next 23 days.

Okay, that's about it. As for the threat Danny faces, you'll find out in the actual story, but I won't be writing it for a while. I've had this idea for some time, and I'm glad to finally get it in writing. As you can probably tell, Vlad is my favorite character. Like always, read and review.


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